Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto scores against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, May 16, 2018.Jeff Chiu / AP

Joey Votto was wrong to dismiss Canadian baseball.

Joey Votto was wrong to dismiss Canadian baseball.

His quick apology after his infuriating remarks was a smart move.

And in a most Canadian response, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Marys has forgiven the Cincinnati Reds first baseman for all the northern anger he fueled this week on a Yahoo! Sports podcast.

“The CBHFM was initially disappointed,” their statement read, “(but) much like errors in the field, we should not be defined by the mistakes that we make. We are encouraged by Joey’s apology and are hopeful that this will help to continue to strengthen his bond with baseball in Canada.”

Votto stirred up a lot of unnecessary angst when he said he “couldn’t really give a rat’s a–” about Toronto, Baseball Canada, countryman James Paxton tossing his no-hitter on Canadian soil and basically brushing off the Canadian system’s contribution to his rise as an all-star player and one of the best hitters in the game.

That clearly struck a chord among even his strongest supporters.

The general attitude over the last 24 hours is if the ungrateful star truly feels that way, he’s welcome to stay in the United States and not bother coming home.

Some knee-jerkers even want to see him banned from the Canadian ball hall once the 34-year-old’s playing days are done and his time for election arrives.

It put the hall in an instantly awkward position.

This is a player who has won six of the past seven Tip O’Neill Awards as the Canadian judged to have excelled individually and with his team while adhering to the highest ideals of the game. Only Larry Walker, with nine, has won the award more.

Cincinnati Reds’ Joey Votto scores against the San Francisco Giants during the fifth inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, May 16, 2018. (Jeff Chiu/AP)Jeff Chiu /
AP

It’s painful to hear Votto say, “I don’t care almost at all about Canadian baseball. I wasn’t raised inside of Canadian baseball, really. I’m coming up on half of my life being in the United States working and being supported by American baseball.”

There is some loyalty in that comment. He makes his living in the U.S. and nobody who comes from a foreign land should knock the country that provides their hefty paycheque and comfortable lifestyle.

But there are plenty of Canadians more famous than Votto — titans of the entertainment business — who have moved to Los Angeles. While they appreciate their new land of opportunity, you don’t often hear them dumping on this country.

In his apology, Votto blamed his initial remarks on “jealousy” over not making the Canadian Olympic team while he was a minor leaguer and not being drafted by the Jays out of high school.

He will still have some bridge mending to do on the home front, but the embrace from the ball hall has to be welcome to the splendid hitter.

The hall pointed out his beginnings in youth baseball in Toronto to the Tip O’Neill honours, his attendance at the Baseball Canada award banquet and wearing the red-and-white in the World Baseball Classic to being a big reason to still stand behind him.

It indicated it will continue to celebrate Votto’s “great achievements along with him for years to come and seeing him at the Hall very soon.”

They will proudly continue to display his game-worn jersey and cap, the pink batting gloves he wore when he hit three home runs on Mother’s Day six years ago and a bat from another three-home run game at the museum in Stonetown.

I don't care almost at all about Canadian baseball. I wasn't raised inside of Canadian baseball, really. I'm coming up on half of my life being in the United States working and being supported by American baseball.

Joey Votto

The people who know Votto best say he’s an interesting character with a different take on things. He’s also one of the best interviews and quotes, not just in baseball but in all of North American sports.

He’s blessed with a tremendous sense of humour. Last year, he bought then-Reds teammate Zack Cozart a donkey, as promised, for making the all-star team. He has also appeared on TV dressed as a mountie and routinely clowns on Phillies fans during games in Philadelphia.

Votto probably doesn’t get the acclaim he deserves at home because he’s in the National League and in small-market Cincinnati and the Blue Jays don’t really ever play them, except for the odd interleague encounter.

He’s hidden in a way that if you mentioned Votto and, say, Russell Martin to a casual ball fan in Canada, they would most likely identify more with the player currently on the Jays roster.

But that’s no reason for him to say what he did or for anyone in Canada to hold a grudge against him.

We’ll all get over the comments in time.

And one day, Votto will be on that stage and under that tent in St. Marys for his Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction — the way the late Roy Halladay was last year or Pedro Martinez and Lloyd Moseby will next month.

Fergie Jenkins will hand him a jacket and he’ll be just as humbled by the moment and overwhelmed by the emotion of an entire country celebrating his accomplishments — just like all the rest, whether they were homegrown in Canada or it was their adopted country.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.